Well, the month got busier near the end.
The Next Book
The first round of professional edits are done, returned, and the manuscript has been revised. This is becoming old hat to me now.
I had a bunch of stuff to revise and I came to the sober realization that the rewrite of the ending wasn't good enough. I am currently in the middle of rewriting the ending...again.
I also used some text-to-speech software to read back my manuscript. This took, roughly a week to do at the end of the month. Halfway though the process, I remarked to myself that what I was hearing sounded like a book. A real book with a real story. Yeah, that sounds kind of stupid, but when you compare the story earlier in the process to what I was hearing in the earphones, the differences become clear. Like the differences between a rosebud and the flower at the peak of it's bloom.
All I need to do is fix the ending. It's ready to go. I'll probably pay to have the editor look over revisions, then I'll send the entire manuscript off again for a proofread.
Which brings me to...
The Cover / Title Reveal Video.
Remember when I said that the cover release video would be out in September? Well, I lied.
The video took longer to produce than I expected. But it's done now. It drops on October 13th, 2022, sometime after 9:00 AM (EST). It should be out on all of my social media platforms. So, look for it.
Or, as R. H. Snow says, "Be there, be there, be there!"
The Revenant and the Tomb
Not many sales this month without advertising. I sold some copies of my book at BasedCon. I'm going to try and change up my advertising and target Fantasy eZines, websites, and periodicals. It's a little depressing because my goal was 500 books by March 2023. Whatever.
The Next Halsedric Book
Progress continues. I started, and partially filled, two chapters this month. I had lots of disruptions in my normal routine as I'm really quite focused on the current book right now. But, I am making some headway. Once I get rolling on a chapter, the ideas come fairly quickly.
Other Things
I've had an idea bubbling in my mind since late August. My thought was to release a different bookmark with each and every book. To that end, I would contract a different artist to create the bookmark image. Then, I would add the QR code (a barcode that you can scan with your phone) for my Amazon link, and the link to the artist's website. These bookmarks I would distribute free as a promotional item. My intention is to provide these at conventions, book signings, and so on.
The first bookmark I had Gary Shipman (the creator of Pakkins Land and Titan, Mouse of Might) create his vision of Halsedric's sword. This time around, I contracted Eric Hawkins (The Zombieful World of Oz) to draw an item from the book - something I initially wanted featured on the book's cover. Well, now it's a bookmark. The art came in, and the bookmark is essentially designed. All I need do is to finally get an Amazon link for the QR code. I also intend to provide signature plates (basically, mailing labels) with my signature on it for those who've purchased my book through Amazon or Barnes and Nobel, but want their book signed. I still have to figure out a way to handle shipping and distribution. But I expect to try and get something where you can order this through my website sometime next year.
And that's it for now.
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